Who are you?

One day in the future I am going to have to apologize to the Apostle John. He made a statement in a book he wrote (John 13:23) and I have made fun of that statement several times. This was at the time when Jesus and His disciples were eating their last meal together before Jesus' crucifixion. John wrote about this event and made this statement,

"Now there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of his disciples,

whom Jesus loved."

John was talking about himself here. For years I made fun of this statement, thinking John was bragging or just a young man full of pride. But recently the Holy Spirit has been able to get past that wrong thinking with the truth about what John said. John knew Jesus really did love him. That is why John was leaning on Jesus bosom, he knew Jesus wouldn't push him away, because He loved him. John was confessing the truth that he knew, "Jesus really does love me." John made this same declaration several times, "I am the disciple Jesus loves." I believe this was not some isolated event, but it was his lifestyle, John really knew Jesus loved him and he was not afraid to speak that out loud or write it down. He lived his life knowing he was a disciple that Jesus loved.

Now let's consider the fruit of that confession. The Holy Spirit wrote several books through John. But the book of 1 John is a fantastic book that reveals to us the love of God. Listen to just a few of the statements from this book.

"God is love... there is no fear in love... we love Him because

He first loved us." (1 John 4)

Here is a book that is packed with revelation about the love of God written through a man that knew Jesus loved him.

Now let's bring this home to us. We know God is no respecter of persons. He loves every son or daughter just as much as He loved John. What would happen if we made John's confession, our confession. What would happen to us if we confessed every day throughout the day, "I am the disciple Jesus loves." And let's take it one step further, "I am the son/daughter my Father loves." What could our Father, the God who is love, accomplish through us as this truth grew inside of us every day. What do you say we find out! Every day throught out the day make this your confession, "I am the disciple Jesus loves. I am the son/daugther my Father loves." Your emotions will fight you, your circumstances will fight you and religion will fight you, but let's push it through and see what the Holy Spirit will get done through us.

A Great Camping Spot

Let me recommend a great camping spot. This is one of the most beautiful places on the planet. It is not going to cost you big bucks to get there or to stay there. The view of the Kingdom of God is absolutely spectacular. You won't feel crowded or have to stand in line for anything. Plan on spending, at the very least, a weekend. If you can't make it for a full weekend, at least try to spend a day. You may want to plan several outings. You may even what to move in for a month or two. Each time you spend there will be well worth your time. At this location you will begin to discover how much God, your Father, loves you.

The camping place is the book of 1st John. This book was written by the Holy Spirit through a man that lived for God is whole adult life. He personally knew Jesus. In fact when he was a very young man he literally heard Jesus' heart beat when he laid his head on His chest. He wrote this book about 90 AD. He was a older man who had a crystal clear revelation of the love of God.

The same Teacher, the Holy Spirit, now wants to reveal what is in here. It will cost you some time alone. Here are a few of suggestions. Saturday morning get up and read 1 John out loud all the way through without stopping or trying to understand every little detail. Ask your Teacher to help you keep your mind from drifting. Take a coffee break or orange juice or whatever you prefer. Then go back through and do it again. Read it out loud non-stop. Take another break and try to get in one more round before lunch. Grab some lunch and a nap. Then repeat the process in the afternoon. Get some supper and try to get in a couple more times in the evening.

On Sunday try to get in a round or two before church. After church try to get in several more rounds. What you are doing is setting up an opportunity for the Teacher to begin to speak to you what is written in this book. It will be up to you and your Teacher how many times He wants you to do this. Then if you would like to take it a step further, while you read this book pray in the Spirit softly, in a whisper.

It will be in this process of meditating the Word of God, that your Teacher will begin to give you fresh understanding of how much your Father loves you. Enjoy the views!

We love you dear Husband & Best Friend, Sunny, Dad, Daddy, Son, Brother and Friend!
It's All HAPPY BIRTHDAY Good!

Performance-Based Christianity

Jesus came to show us how to live as a son/daughter in this life. Do you think Jesus ever asked the question, "What must I do to get my Father to bless me today?" Or how about this one, "What do I need to do today to get my Father's attention?" Today there is so much performance-based Christianity. The Firstborn Son lived out of His fellowship with His Father. In that time of fellowship He received His instructions and then went out and worked for His Father. Jesus never worked to try to get His Father to love Him or bless Him. Jesus knew He was blessed because He was His Father's Son. He also knew He was loved not because of His works but because He was God's Son.

As sons/daughters of God today we don't have to perform to get our Father to love us. Our Father wants us to get off the treadmill of thinking, "What must I do today to get my Father to bless me?"

Father please tell us today how much You love us. Reveal to us how to live more and more out of our fellowship with You. Holy Spirit please train us in the ways of the Kingdom. Thank You for coming to teach us all things and guide us into all truth. Purge us from the spiritual diet of performance-based Christianity and help us to live by every Word that proceeds out of Your mouth. Father our desire is to walk close to You and to know what is in Your heart. Thank You for Your grace to meet Your needs.

We are sharing the Planet

When we received Jesus and asked Him to become the Lord of our life, we know by experience this life didn't become all peaches and cream. In fact it can seem like things got worse. That is not a negative confession, but a recognition of the reality of being a part of the Kingdom of God on this planet. The reason it seems like at times all hell has been sent against us, is because we are sharing the planet with a 'psycho'. There is a god of this world that hates the true and living God of all creation. Plus this 'psycho' hates every son/daughter that is still on the planet. OK, that is the reality of where we live. We are all currently living on the wrong side of the tracks. But that doesn't stop our fellowship with our Father.

We have the privilege of walking with Jesus moment-by-moment all day long. We have been given a new born again nature that has the capacity to know His voice. We can be aware of His presence. We can stay in fellowship with Him. We can learn the mysteries of the Kingdom of God while we share the planet with our enemy.

1 John 1:3-4 says, "...and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things we write to you that your joy may be full." In the midst of all the bad news and insanity of the world, we can walk in this same fellowship with our Father and our Elder Brother Jesus Christ. This fellowship is the true source of our joy. The Holy Spirit came to guide us into all truth and to teach us all things. Ask Him to help you in this fellowship.

Live From The Table

In our last post we talked about how waiting on the Lord describes our fellowship with Him. Let's take that one more step.

The Lord gave me a vision of another aspect of waiting on Him. In this vision I was standing in the kitchen of the house were I grew up in Fowler, Colorado. I was standing next to our kitchen table with a white towel draped over my arm like a waiter. Sitting at the table was Jesus. He was looking straight ahead and I had the privilege of being His waiter.

Here is a picture of a serving son/daughter living a lifestyle of being in fellowship with the Lord on a daily basis. The kitchen table is a place of family fellowship. At that table growing up, we ate a lot of meals. There were a lot of hours talking, laughing, listening and being together as a family. Here Jesus was at the head of the table.

There are so many analogies here, but the main one today is, our lifestyle as a son/daughter is to live day by day out of our fellowship with the Lord. From this table of daily fellowship He will give us specific instructions for each day, as we take the time to fellowship Him with first. Let's not get trapped into being too busy to fellowship with Him.

Created for Fellowship with God

Recently I heard someone say, "If you don't have enough time to wait on the Lord, you are moving to fast." As a son/daughter this doesn't mean we ask our Father for something in prayer and then go watch TV until He answers. The word "wait" means to "be joined to or to be braided." In Isaiah 40:31 it says, "...those who wait on the Lord..." Those individual sons/daughters who will plan time to be in fellowship with the Lord are waiting on Him. Those who will braid themselves to the Lord. When someone braids their hair they will take several strands of hair and weave them together to make one strand. When we set aside time to fellowship with the Lord we are not being lazy or wasting time. It is in this time of being aware of His presence that He will reveal to us more and more that we are His son/daughter.

Our Father is waiting on us. He wants to be in fellowship with us. He wants to reveal His heart to us. In Luke 15:11-32 we see a father's heart wanting fellowship with his sons. The first son had gone from his father's presence in pursuit of his own desires, but the father didn't write this kid off. Every day he looked for his boy to come home. When that boy came to himself and went back to his , we see the father's response. He ran to his son. He didn't put him on probation. His heart was so full to the brim with love for his son, he fell on his neck and kissed him. This father wasted no time to restore their fellowship. The second son was way to busy to fellowship with his dad. That same father went out to this son. Even in the middle of his son's pity party, jealousy and complaining, this father was wanting to restore their fellowship.

Our Father rescued us from the world to live in daily fellowship with us. When we sit down in a chair, close our eyes and say, "Father can we fellowship now?" He doesn't say, "Come back later, I'm busy with this revival meeting in Africa." He has been waiting for this moment. He loves your fellowship. He enjoys being with you. There is no one on the planet that can worship Him like you can. He knows your voice. There is no one else that can say, "Thank You, Father" like you can. When you say, "Father, I love You and I worship You," you have just connected yourself to His heart. It is wonderful to be His son/daughter.

The Firstborn Son came to save

Zaccheus stopped and said to the Lord, "Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much." And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost." Luke 19:8-10
Here we see how the Firstborn Son saw others. Zaccheus was a rich man who had authority and position in the community. Jesus saw beyond that, He saw a man that was lost. He saw a man that needed true riches, authority and position in the Kingdom of God as a son. This man was lost to his sonship and Jesus came, sought him out and rescued him.
One encounter with Jesus and His love and Zaccheus responded by making a shift in the way he saw his stuff. This one encounter with Jesus and his eyes were lifted up off himself to others. "Jesus, I want to make sure the poor are taken care of, and if I have ripped anyone off I'll pay them back with interest."
When we get saved the heart of the Firstborn Son is imparted to our heart. The more we encounter the Lord in our fellowship with Him, the more we want to be and live like Him. It is not about our stuff, it becomes a lifestyle of, "Lord, I want to do what is important to You."
The more we allow Him to reveal to us how much He loves us, the more we want to be in fellowship with Him. As we live our life out of our fellowship with Him, he will reveal to us what He needs us to do.

Christians are sons & daughters of God

1 John 4:15-19 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.
Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is (Jesus is the Son of God), so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. We love Him because He first loved us.
We are not "The" Son of God, but in Romans 8:29 it does say Jesus was the Firstborn among many brethren. When we are born again we literally become a son or a daughter of God. We can say, "God I love You" because He loves us first. God literally becomes our Father and now when He says, "I love you", from His perspective He is saying, "I love you as My son or My daughter." This is the flawless (perfect) love that casts out all fear. God our Father loves us like a daughter or son. Let your Father reveal to you how much He loves you. Over the next several days ask Him, "Father, please tell me and show me how much You love me."

This is a great salvation

I have had the privilege of being saved over 28 years and it is still amazing to think Jesus Christ lives inside of me. Paul wrote in Colossians 1:26-27 ...the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. When I look down at my chest, my arms, my legs, my body, I can honestly say, "Man Jesus, You are the Christ and You are living inside of me," that is truly amazing. This is a great salvation!